Models and Designs
Investigation 1
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Label your new section Models and Designs
Draw pictures of a “model” and “design”
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I have a bunch of black boxes. It sounds like
there is something inside, but I don’t know
what, because the boxes can’t be opened. I’d
like each of you to work with your table to
figure out what the box looks like inside.
But… wait….
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The boxes are to remain closed.
No drawing on the boxes, with anything.
No violent shaking or hard pressure, the
boxes can break.
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Please send one person to get four boxes
An A box, a B box, a C box, and a D box
Remember, no violent shaking.
Ready for some hints,
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Move them slowly
Up and down and then maybe side to side
How are they different
How are they the same
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Talk to your table about what you think is in
the box.
Write down your ideas in your journal.
Is there one thing or more than one thing?
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It’s true, you all have a marble in
your black box, but there might
be something else in there, too.
Remember, your challenge is to
figure out what the box would
look like inside if you were able
to open it.
But you can’t.
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In your journal, draw four boxes for each letter,
like this. But big enough to draw a sketch in.
A
B
C
D
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Draw 4 ideas of what each
box might look like if you
could open the box and look
into it
But remember, you can’t.
After a bit, I’m going to call
up one person from your
table to share what you think
one of the boxes look like
inside.
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No, not that kind of model
What you have created in your
journal and on the board are models.
A model is a representation or explanation of
something that shows how it looks or works.
People make models of things that are very
big, like the solar system, things that are very
small, like atoms, and things that are
impossible to see into, like black boxes.
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Nope, still not those kind of models…
Models are often used to communicate
information and ideas.
Creating models is part of the modeling
process; interpreting models is another part
What kind of skills or strategies did you use
to build your idea of what the inside of box
might look like? What senses?
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Scientists often work by themselves on difficult
problems for a while and then write articles
about what they found out and publish them in
science magazines called scientific journals.
Your model drawings are your published journal
articles.
When scientists read journal articles, they
sometimes find that other scientists are
interested in the same problem. They might then
call a conference where they can get together to
talk and work together on the problem.
Working together is called collaboration.
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The A Group is going to get together and
collaborate.
They are going to use consensus, which
means no vote, but through observation,
discussion, testing of ideas, and evidence.
Every person must have a chance to share
their idea.
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By the way, I have been told that all of the A
boxes are the same, all of the B boxes are the
same too. When I look at the models on the
board, I find that different investigators came
up with different models to explain the same
box. This is interesting.
Remember, this is not guess the object, it’s
guess what the inside of the box looks like.
In a bit, I will ask for your groups consensus.
I’ll call on one person from your group, you
never know who it is…
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Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Add these group ideas to your journal. Draw
the sketches in your journal.
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There are many things in the world like our black
boxes that can’t be opened for a close look – the
center of planet Earth, atoms, the sun, etc.
We create models to explain what the look like
and how they work based on the information we
are able to get.
When we get new information, we change our
models to include the new knowledge.
Models always represent our best explanation of
how things look or work, and models can always
change.
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How can you get
additional
information about
the black boxes?
If you could do
almost anything but
open the box…
Talk to your table
and list 5 additional
ways to explore the
boxes w/o opening
the boxes.
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Black box - any system that cannot be
directly observed and easily understood
Model – a representation that explains how
something is built or how it works
Collaboration – working together
Consensus – where everyone agrees, not by
voting, but by discussion, observation,
testing of ideas, and evidence.
Building the Black Box
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Question – How can I use materials and
empty black boxes to help me figure out what
the other black boxes looked like inside?
Hypothesis – If I use the same materials then I
can try different ideas because it will help me
understand what I thought before.
Materials
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Black boxes
Marbles
Masking tape
Cardboard shapes
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Four boxes to try out
We’ll compare at the end of this work time.
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Put the A, B, C and D black
boxes over there.
Open your testing boxes and
take everything out
Marbles there
No tape on the cardboard or in
the box
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How did building your own black boxes
change or support your idea of the original
black boxes?
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Read Scientists and Models Pg. 5-10
Response Sheet – Black Boxes
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The drought stopper system is a kind of black
box. We can see what it does, but we can’t
see how it does it.
This invention will put an end to droughts
everywhere.
Check this out. I am going to add 100 ml of
water to this system.
Draw this system in your journal and make a
prediction of what will happen when I add
100 ml of water.
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Your challenge is to tell me how that works!
Draw a model that explains how you get 500
ml out after putting in only 100 ml. Draw
your model in your journal and describe your
idea of how it works.
Share your idea at your table. Adjust your
model if you would like to. Use another color
pencil for any adjustments.
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What observations of the drought stopper
support your model? Write these in your
journal.
Let’s share the models, at your table pick
what you feel is your table’s best model, draw
and describe it on this whiteboard.
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This drought stopper uses a siphon to produce
the interesting behavior you observed.
A siphon is a hose filled with water, with the
outflow end lower than the inflow end.
The inflow end is on the bottom of the container,
and the outflow extends below the level of the
bottom of the container.
Gravity makes the water flow out of the lower
end of the hose.
Because water is flowing into the hose from the
bottom of the container, water will flow until the
container is empty.
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Brainstorm with your table to come up with 5
other ways a siphon would be a useful tool?
What are 5 tasks or systems that a siphon
would help with?
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Drought - Drought is when you have less
rainfall than you expected over an extended
period of time, usually several months or
longer. Drought is a normal part of climate,
and it can occur almost anywhere on earth.
For example, Arizona and Maine have very
different climates but drought occurs in both.
Siphon – a tube that moves liquid out of a
container by gravity, provided the outflow is
lower than the intake end.
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Life on Earth 150 Million Years Ago
Pg. 11-16